NATO intends to mobilize 90,000 troops for largest exercise since Cold War

(Patria) - NATO intends to mobilize 90,000 troops for the Alliance's largest military exercises since the end of the Cold War to deter Russian aggression, German agency dpa reported on Thursday.

According to information obtained by dpa on Thursday, the scenario for the "Steadfast Defender" exercise, which is expected to begin in Europe in February, involves a Russian attack on allied territory that would trigger Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which guarantees collective defense.

The exercises will focus on the alert and deployment of national and multinational ground forces in the event of a Russian attack.

Article 5 has been invoked only once, following the al-Qaeda attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

The Alliance's largest post-Cold War exercises, named "Trident Juncture," took place in 2018, primarily in Norway, and involved around 51,000 troops.

The British Ministry of Defence recently stated that approximately 20,000 of its troops from naval, air, and land forces would participate in this year's exercises.

Alliance members Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland consider themselves frontline defense states in the event of Russian aggression.

Many countries on NATO's eastern flank fear they could one day face a similar fate to the Ukrainian people, who have been fighting against Russian invasion for almost two years.

The Military Committee, the Alliance's highest body, met in Brussels on Thursday.